Syracuse Silver Knights clamp down on Chicago Mustangs

Syracuse, N.Y. -- Bryan O'Quinn started the Syracuse Silver Knights season in a suit and tie. But 12 games into the season with a 5-7 record, O'Quinn put his gloves back on and returned to the Syracuse net.

He made his first appearance of the season on Sunday against the Chicago Mustangs, and there appeared to be no rust on the Syracuse goalkeeper. O'Quinn put on a show for the fans at Dave and Buster's Field at the War Memorial Arena as he helped lead the Silver Knights to an 11-2 victory over Chicago.

Syracuse started the match on fire, with two quick goals in the span of 24 seconds. Darren Toby was the first Silver Knight on the scoreboard with a goal 9:55 left in the first quarter. The Syracuse defender rifled home a shot in the box to make the score 1-0.

Not long after the restart, Slavisa Ubiparipovic received a ball in the box from Moises Gonzalez, and fired a shot home. His goal with 9:29 left in the first made the score 2-0.

The goals continued for Syracuse in the second quarter. After a slow start, the Silver Knights tacked on three more goals in under six minutes. Jerjer Gibson's strike put Syracuse up 3-0 with 6:55 left in the quarter.

Antonio Manfut then scored from a tight angle on the right-side of the net to give the Silver Knights a 4-0 lead with 5:21 left in the quarter. Finally, Bo Jelovac placed a shot that got by Mustangs keeper Resendiz. The goal from the Silver Knights defender put Syracuse up 5-0 with 1:16 left in the first half.

The power play was Syracuse's friend in the third. Both Silver Knights goals in the quarter came with an extra man on the field for Ryan Hall's squad. Ubiparipovic and Kenardo Forbes were the beneficiaries of the extra attacker, as their goals in the third quarter gave Syracuse a 7-0 lead.

In the fourth quarter, Syracuse continued to apply pressure to the Mustangs, and goals kept coming for the Silver Knights. Joey Tavernese added to his team-leading goal count with his 21st of the season. Nate Bourdeau also scored two goals within 32 seconds of each other, and Zachary MacNabb finished the scoring for Syracuse with his first goal of the season.

O'Quinn, who moved back into goal after starting the season as the team's head coach, made 17 saves. The two goals O'Quinn allowed is tied for a season-low.

The offense tied a season-high with 11 goals scored. Previously, the Silver Knights scored 11 against the Harrisburg Heat on Jan. 6.

The Silver Knights now hold a 6-7 record and move to second in the MASL Eastern Division. Syracuse looks to continue its winning streak on Friday as the Milwaukee Wave visit.